I will have to take back the pearls
by Christina-Potter-09
Summary: post -tdkr. Another crisis is ready to start for Bruce and Selina, only this one will be for months and years to come...


a little shot about a new crisis for Selina and Bruce

Enjoy...

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Bruce returned from his daily exercises outside the house with his breath stolen, the weather was getting cold again and Florence was north enough to catch up with it quickly.

His back was in subtle pain, so his knee and some ribs, maybe his elbows too, but he didn't complain, after what he had done back in Gotham, for years, he wouldn't dare complain.

'Selina?!' he called out as he entered the Italian villa and looked around, his sports slacks and long-sleeved blouse quickly made him feel the heat from the exercise, the contrast from the cold outside. She had been asleep when he got out for his exercises but he knew she'd be up by the time he'd be back. For the past days, she hadn't been feeling well, a fever and headaches, nausea, she was falling with something and even if she was a big girl and could handle a lot more than a cold, Bruce was worried. She was the most important person in his life and he wanted her to be fine no matter what.

'Master Wayne, you better go up there,' Alfred's voice was heard from behind Bruce, emerging from the kitchen of the left wing.

After their small encounter in that café, Bruce couldn't actually resist, he wished for Alfred to be in his life, he was like a father to him. Alfred with his turn, after his fear of losing for good the man he valued as a son, he could only accept with a big smile when Bruce set up the whole deal of inviting his butler from Gotham to Italy through John Blake and Lucius Fox.

Bruce had asked him again and again if he had been too selfish to drag him back in his life but Alfred had only laughed and after decades, actually grabbed Bruce in a manly hug that lasted a few seconds of display of fatherly love towards a boy with no father.

'Is everything ok?' Bruce asked and Alfred gave a small smile and patted Bruce's back twice.

'It will be, sir, it will be, just go up there and you'll find a way.' Alfred only said before he could withdraw back to the kitchen, leaving Bruce with a frown of concern and curiosity on his face.

'Selina?' he called out again as he moved up the stairs and towards the master bedroom of the huge house. He opened the door almost hesitantly and the frown on his face deepened as he found his wife on the edge of the bed, her hands hiding her face, her shoulder slumped but shaken by sobs. He moved close quickly and even if he was still tired by the exercises and his knee screamed its protest. he kneeled before her and took her hands away from her face with his.

Her eyes were bloodshot, her hair falling before her like a curtain; he touched her cheek with his large hand, searching her eyes as the moment she glanced at him, fresh tears gathered.

Selina Kyle Wayne was not the woman who would cry, she was strong, able to endure and the first time she had cried before him was when she had though he couldn't see her. Right after she had stitched him up and put him to bed following his reveal to her, hours from the nuclear explosion.

She had cried a few more times, months after their escape to Italy. When she finally opened up and told him about her family, her drunk of a father and her mother and sister, how she had lost them all when she was barely a teenager, and how her character had been built by crime, exploitation and fear. It had been a long night and he had been there to hold her against his chest while she cried herself to sleep. Now he couldn't imagine what made her break.

Fear gripped his heart in a vice grip, could her tears be because of some danger? He suffered from nightmares, sometimes, when terrors about Arkham prison being forced open and people like the Joker escaping, searching for the Batman, for Bruce Wayne and in his effort, getting to Selina and depriving Bruce of the only person that ever made him happy, stood by his side even before a nuclear apocalypse threat and ultimately followed him on the other side of the world, giving herself to him and loving him like no other ever made it to do.

'What is it?' he whispered and Selina shook her head, sighed and tried to stand up but he didn't let her. 'You can tell me, Selina, I'm here.' He said calmly but that seemed to make her even more upset as this time she abandoned their spot and stood up, rubbing her eyes, sighing again and moving close to the window. 'You can spare the trouble of your cripple husband and tell me what is going on,' he attempted for humor as he stood up from his injured knee with a small groan. It didn't seem to work so he sobered up again, moved closer and hugged her from behind, his heart aching at her instinctive stiffness that had never been there before.

'Please…' he whispered, begged with her close to her ear as he rested his chin on her shoulder. She nodded, mostly to herself and turned around, rested her back against the window still to keep up a distance from him and she was grateful he didn't close it, she needed air and space and some short of escape.

'I…' Selina started, paused and sighed once again before she could face him and look at Bruce in the eye. 'I am pregnant,' her last word trembled, more tears ran down her cheeks as she looked at Bruce with her eyes revealing emotions that ran from fear to remorse. Her emotions hurt him and almost shadowed his own feelings provoked by her words.

'And you're not happy?' he asked almost dumbly in a calm voice, having Selina finally laughing but in nothing but irony.

'Right now, Bruce? Right now I am _thrilled_… but in twenty years, when the child will be learning about its mother and her amazing ways of killing people for the _fun in that_ during a burglary, her theatricality in the leather costume and her craving for pearls and money… Then it will be just _pure_ happiness.' Selina's voice was dripping with sarcasm, harm and self-shame. And Bruce could only sigh and finally close the distance between each other, his hands going to her arms.

'You're right,' he whispered, his voice sober, her eyes darkened with a flare of anger at his words of confirmation but he wouldn't let her go on. 'You're right, Selina, right now, you and I assure you, myself as well; are thrilled for the baby… I mean a child with your almond shaped eyes and my air of superiority and glamour will certainly be a heart breaker at school.' Bruce went on and Selina wasn't sure how to react so she let him speak.

'But when that child will learn about its mother's heroic acts to save an entire city from nuclear destruction, how she still helps the poor of that same city, months later, by funding orphanages from her personal bank accounts, accounts concealed by a new name and filled with money she took from the mob and rich of Gotham and now she's giving it to people in need, having an eye on the Wayne institutions across Gotham to make sure no corrupted bastard has crept in to exploit those places…' Bruce went on and Selina's eyes filled with tears again.

Of course he would know of her little insight to Gotham, and her helping hand to the poor of the Narrows and the orphanages. She always pretended she didn't care about that wretched city, even to her husband, it was her small act of salvation of what she had done when she was still Selina Kyle to the world.

'That child, _our_ child will know that there is more to its mother than what herself think of her and then yes, Selina Kyle Wayne, then it will be true joy for us. Because that child, unlike me, will have grown up with two parents that will kill for it and unlike you, that child will grow up in happiness, safety and love because its mother prefers to skin herself than see that child close to the mildest risk of danger… and so its father does.' Bruce finally concluded, his voice, calmed, even, sincere, no matter how hard his heart was beating inside its ribcage.

Selina remained to look at him for a few more moments, her eyes full of tears, her lips trembling. until another sob escaped her full lips and she hugged Bruce tightly, trying to calm herself.

'I am scared,' she whispered and Bruce sighed and closed his eyes, his hands feasting in her brown hair, his nostrils filled with her familiar aroma.

'I'm here, we'll make it,' Bruce could only whisper to her. A couple of years ago, he wouldn't even think of children, a wife, happiness. Now he was to be a father, and he was both thrilled and scared for the new role that he knew it would be more challenging than the bat-mask.

'I don't want to let you or the little one down.' Selina whispered again and Bruce smiled this time and took her face in his hands.

'You won't, I'm sure of it.' Bruce whispered and she finally nodded and sighed, gathering away her tears and calming down. Bruce looked at her for a moment more gathering herself. The moment she nodded to herself once more and finally smiled at him, he couldn't stop by framing her face and kissing her with all the passion he could pour into a kiss.

Selina responded immediately, opening her lips for his, their hands wrapping around each other. The first crisis was gone, the next months would be certainly challenging, like the rest of the decades after the baby was with them but he was up for the challenge.

'A baby,' Bruce finally whispered and smiled brightly at his wife who nodded with a smile before she could chuckle in actual joy. She had been happy the first moment she saw the little bar on the pregnancy test, but then the rest of the thoughts had come to her mind and overwhelmed her.

'A baby,' she echoed his words as they remained in their hug and stole another kiss from each other's lips.

'I want a girl,' Bruce said and Selina laughed, for the first time thinking of their child as a little one with their shared features and not a person that will look down at her with fear and disgust.

'Why a girl?' Selina asked and he grinned.

'A boy monopolizing your interest would make me jealous, a girl with your eyes would be the most beautiful girl in the world… after her mother of course.' Bruce said and Selina smiled and shook her head.

'But you will have to chase behind every boy that will come near her.' Selina reasoned and Bruce's face actually went blank at the possibility. No one was touching his baby girl, not even when she would be forty five.

'Damn it,' he cursed and Selina laughed and shook her head.

'Well if it's a girl and she brings a guy home… he will have to get pass the Batman… and Catwoman.' Selina said Bruce laughed.

'And Alfred,' Bruce concluded and Selina raised her brows and nodded.

'Him before anyone else, I'm sure he'll be thrilled to help raising the new Wayne heir or heiress.' Selina said with a smile and Bruce grinned.

'Even if the Wayne name is declared dead in Gotham, I'm afraid he will ask for a raise if he's to be our baby sitter.' Bruce said and Selina grinned.

'He's been _our_ baby sitter for the past months…' Selina pointed out and Bruce shook his head.

'Still, he's not getting a raise.' Bruce said sternly before they could both chuckle and kiss once more, Bruce then grinned as he looked at her.

'If it's a girl, I will have to take back the pearls and give them to her,' Bruce said and Selina smiled, her eyes falling on the black box on its special day of her vanity.

'I will give them to her one day myself.' Selina replied and Bruce could only smile and take her lips in a tender kiss.

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what you think guys? i just want to explore some things every time i make a shot and this one was an important for me, i love that they are canon, endgame and in many cases with Helena in their lives :) so these shots for me are very important. please review and let me know? :)

oh and in case you're wondering why i am not answering the reviews, be sure i am checking each and everyone it's just that when i try to answer them all, the site warns about something like spam... don't even ask, i don't know why, but be sure i see every review and it makes me so happy :)


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